


Eddy in time Version 2

by thebadwolf



Category: Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: Depression, F/M, Family Issues, Fear of Coming Out, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Teen Pregnancy, Time Travel, Underage Sex, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:07:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22086871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebadwolf/pseuds/thebadwolf
Summary: A different version of my Eddy in Time story. Only the original ghostbuster movie happened. 16-year-old Winter Spengler finds herself pregnant and feeling lost. Things get even crazier when she finds herself and her friends thrown back in time.
Relationships: Original Characters - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Character guide:

Winter Spengler daughter of Egon and Janine  
Oscar Venkman son of Peter and Dana   
Maria Zeddemore daughter of Winston and Betty (original character)  
Bradley Stanz son of Ray and Jewel (original character)

\--

Winter Spengler was a walking dead girl. Despite the fact she only sixteen she was pregnant. Her parents were going to kill her and her boyfriend when they found out. She couldn’t believe it had happened. They were usually pretty careful about condoms. Winter had been too scared to tell her parents she needed birth control. She knew she could have gone to a clinic and got the pills but she didn’t dare. What if her parents found them? There was no way she could look her father in the eye after that. Her parents knew she and Oscar were dating and they didn’t have a problem with it. Of course, they had no idea they were having sex. 

Well, Winter’s fear of talking to them had cost her. When she missed her period she ran right out and brought a test. Positive. She was pregnant. She’d been so shocked she went out and bought another one. Her hands were shaking as she read the result. Pregnant. It couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. There had to be some kind of mistake.

So many thoughts flew through her mind. What would Oscar think? Would he even want the baby? Did she want the baby? Would her parents support her? 

Winter felt horrible holding the secret inside of her. She had only known for a short time but it was already starting to affect her. The teen couldn’t study for school, she wasn’t eating right, and she was starting to feel depressed. All she wanted to do was tell Oscar, Brad, and Maria. There was a chance her friends would judge her but she hoped they would be there for her. Brad and Maria were like a brother and sister to her. 

At the very least, Winter knew she had to tell Oscar right away. Maybe after she told him they could tell their parents together. She just needed to get the words “I’m pregnant” out to someone. Perhaps that would make it easier to tell more people. Fate had given her the perfect change and she couldn’t ignore it.

Winter’s father was working a late shift ghostbusting and her Mom was in bed with a mild case of the flu. Janine had taken some cold medicine and was out hard. Winter was almost grateful the flu was going around. Her morning sickness was pretty intense and she had already gotten caught throwing up by her mother once. Winter didn’t have a fever but her mother had kept her home for the day “just in case”. After that Winter became much more careful. 

As soon as Janine was asleep Winter texted Oscar and invited him over. She was shaking from nervousness but she knew she didn’t have a choice. There was no way she could face this alone. She needed him.

Winter sat down on her bed and flicked on the small tv in the corner of her bedroom. She wasn’t really watching it but she needed a way to distract herself. It felt like it was only a matter of seconds before there was light knocking on her bedroom window.

The teen looked up to see Oscar looking at her through the glass. He was smiling at her. He was such a goofy guy, just like his father. His smile warmed her heart. She opened the window and let him in.

“How you doing baby?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

It was rare for WInter to invite Oscar over. If she was sneaking out to hang out with him they would meet outside. She never wanted her parents to catch him in her room. Something important must have been going on for her to sneak him in. For a second Winter forgot why she had called him there. It just felt so nice to be in his arms. The smell of his favorite brand of cigarette coated him and for the first time, she didn't care. 

“Oscar,” Winter said pulling away from him.

The guilt of what was happening was settling down on her. Oscar almost always used condoms. He had done his job. She hadn’t gotten on birth control. If she had this wouldn’t have happened. Oscar’s life was ruined because of her. Both of their lives were ruined. Tears began to run down her face.

“Hey,” Oscar said gently leading her to the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk,” Winter said trying to calm her tears.

“Is this about May?” he asked. “I swear she flirts with me but I never do it back.”

May? That dumb cheerleader? Winter didn’t care less about that girl.

“No,” Winter said, shaking her head. “It isn’t that.”

“What’s wrong?” Oscar said wrapping an arm around her shoulder. 

Winter looked down at her hands. She knew she had to get this over with. If Oscar was mad at her for getting pregnant they would have to try and work through it. 

“I’m pregnant,” she admitted.

Silence was Winter’s only answer. No doubt her boyfriend was in shock. She didn’t dare look at him.

Oscar couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His girlfriend was pregnant. How did she know? Was she sure?

“Are you sure?” Oscar finally asked in a shaky voice.

“Yea,” she said. “I took two at-home tests. I’m so sorry baby.”

“Sorry?” he asked. “For what?”

“I'm sorry for getting pregnant,” she said tears starting to take over her. “I should've gotten on the pill.”

“You were scared of Winter,” he said. “You didn’t want your parents to know you were having sex. I’m just as much to blame. I should have always used protection.”

Oscar was scared. He was terrified of the idea of being a father. But Winter was clearly in a worse place. This child was growing inside of her. She needed comfort. He pulled her in close and held her tight.

“Sh,” her boyfriend said rubbing her back. “Everything is going to be ok. You just need to calm down honey. Getting so upset can’t be good for the baby.”

Oscar had no idea if that was true but he couldn’t stand to see Winter so upset. 

The baby? Winter took a deep breath and tried to calm her tears. She didn’t know if Oscar was right but she didn’t want to hurt her baby in any way. 

“What are we going to do?” Winter asked. “Our parents are going to kill us.”

“We have to tell them, Winter,” he said. “We’re going to need their help getting ready for the baby.”

What was her father going to say? Winter didn't think he would yell at her. That really wasn't his style. Egon would just look at her with that disappointing look. She had a future and she was throwing it away. How was she going to raise a child and go to school? She didn’t want to drop out of high school. 

“Let's go for a ride,” Oscar said getting up from the bed. “We’ll go get some pizza and take our minds off this.”

“Are you sure?” Winter asked. “It’s already late and a school night.”

“How much more trouble can we get in?” he said smiling a bit. “Let’s go.”

Winter smiled getting up from the bed. Oscar was right. What did they have to lose? They might as well enjoy the short time they had left to be "normal" teens.


	2. Chapter 2

Winter frowned looking at the calendar on her phone. According to an online calculator, she had convinced her baby on April 3rd. That was over a month ago. They were already halfway through May. That meant she was due at the end of December. She’d be a mother at Christmas. That was one hell of a Christmas gift.

“What ya doing?” Maria asked, dropping down next to her.

Winter was yanked back into reality. She was sitting in her high school cafeteria worrying about the child growing inside of her.

“Nothing,” she said flipping her phone shut. “Where's Oscar and Brad?”

“Trying to talk Brenda into giving them more brownies,” Maria explained as she started to eat her lunch.

Brenda was the nicest lunch lady Winter had ever known. No doubt those boys would get their brownies.

Winter looked down at her untouched tray. She knew she needed to eat. The baby needed as much proper nutrition as it could get. She lifted her fork and started pushing her mashed potatoes around. Maria frowned as she watched her friend. Winter wasn’t being herself. Her friend was normally so hyper and happy. She had looked so dead for the last few days.

“Are you alright?” Maria questioned. “You seem really down.”

Winter looked up to see her best friend staring at her with wide eyes full of worry. She was unsure of what to say. Was there any harm in telling her? After all, Maria was bound to find out sooner or later. The sound of Oscar and Brad approaching their table broke the uneasy moment.

“Brownie?” Oscar asked holding a small stack out to Winter.

“No thanks,” his girlfriend said with a chuckle.

Winter turned to find Maria still looking at her with a questioning look. Clearly she was still waiting for an answer. Maria was a nice girl but she could be a little pushy sometimes. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was around. Their usual table was at the far end of the cafeteria and no one was close enough to hear.

“Oscar I think we should tell Brad and Maria what's going on,” Winter explained. “I mean...they’re going to find out anyway.”

The smile that had been on Oscar’s face quickly disappeared and he set his brownies down. It had been a few days since she had told him and they hadn’t talked about it much. It seemed like the two of them were trying to pretend it wasn’t happening.

“What’s going on?” Brad asked before taking a bite of his brownie.

“Yea,” Oscar said ignoring his best friend’s question. “Perhaps that would be best.”

“I’m…” Winter started looking down at her untouched plate. “I’m around a month and a half pregnant.”

“What?” Maria asked in a shocked voice.

“No way!” Brad said looking at Oscar and Winter in shock. “Weren’t you guys using...you know...stuff?”

“Most of the time,” Oscar said with a shrug. “Hey...accidents happen.”

Oscar knew he was to blame for this whole thing. He was trying to make light of Brad’s comments out of guilt. His lax condom use wasn’t something he wanted to bring up.

“How are your parents taking it?” Maria asked. “My dad would flip if I got pregnant. He put me on birth control last year just to be safe. He’s so paranoid about it.”

Her parents? God. That was not a subject she wanted to ever bring up with them. She had a feeling Peter and Dana would be way more understanding than her own parents. They were far more laid back and were used to Oscar doing dumb things. Her parents weren’t used to that with her. She was an A and B student who never got in trouble and volunteered.

“Oh no,” Brad said, seeing the terrified look on Winter’s face. “You haven’t told them.”

“Egon will kill me,” Oscar explained. “We can’t just tell him.”

“But you have to-” Maria started.

“I will,” Winter said. “I will tell my parents. Just give me a little time. You and Brad have to promise not to tell anyone.”

Brad and Maria looked at their two friends. They didn’t want to make a promise like that. Neither one of them knew too much about babies but they did know Winter needed to tell her parents. There were things that needed to be done and she would need them.

“Promise!” Winter demanded.

“Alright,” Brad said seeing his friend wasn’t going to back down. “We promise. Right Maria?”

“Yes,” she said reluctantly. “I promise.”

Winter let out a relieved sigh. She felt a little better about the whole situation. Her friends knew their little secret and promised not to tell their families.  
__

It was just after two in the morning when Oscar dropped Winter off at home. They had gone for pizza and talked about what their future held. Sneaking out had become a nightly habit for the couple. Neither one of them saw the point in following the rules anymore.

The reality of what was happening was just starting to sink in. Telling their friends about the baby had helped them a lot. It made the whole thing seem real. Oscar was going to be a Dad. He had turned 17 only a few weeks ago. The two of them would be parents at 17.

Oscar pulled into his parking space with a sigh. He was going to have to change his whole way of life. The teen reached over and opened the glove box. A half-full pack of cigarettes lay in the small space. Smoking was a bad habit he needed to break. He bought them from a friend at school at a higher price. That money belonged in a savings account for his child. He’d been saving for new rims for his jeep but that was going to have to wait. He had more important things to spend money.on. Would his parents even help them with the baby? They needed to be prepared for the worst.

After locking up his jeep Oscar walked into his apartment building. Normally he would have snuck up the fire escape but he just didn’t care. Getting caught wasn’t something he cared about anymore. His Dad was already going to kill him when he realized he’d destroyed his life.

The young Venkman unlocked the door to the apartment and walked inside. He walked through the kitchen and tossed his cigarettes in the trash.

“Nice to see you throwing those things out,” his father’s voice broke through the silence of the kitchen.

Oscar jumped at the sudden noise. He looked up to see his father leaning against the door to the living room.

“Hi Dad,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to be awake.”

“Were you with Winter?” Peter asked fully walking into the small kitchen.

“Yea,” Oscar said. “We just went out for pizza.”

Oscar looked down at the kitchen counter. He couldn’t look his father in the eye. He’d been avoiding his parents for the last week. If he hung out with either of them too much he would confess what was going on. He felt like he could tell them anything. They were always open about sex. When he turned sixteen Peter and Dana bought him his first box of condoms and gave him a long talk about using protection.

As much as Oscar wanted to tell his parents he didn’t think it would be right for him to tell anyone without Winter’s consent. This involved her as well.

“Is everything alright?” Peter asked, reaching his side.

Peter knew something was going on with his son. The boy had been sneaking out every night for two weeks and he'd been avoiding him. He would never force something out of Oscar but he would always be there to listen. Dana was planning on talking to him soon if Peter couldn’t get anything out of him.

“Yea,” Oscar said. “WInter was just feeling a little down so I took her out.”

Oscar glanced up to see his father looking at him with concern. He could tell his father wasn’t buying his story.

“Alright,” Peter said. “Go on to bed and stop sneaking Winter out. Egon is going to kill me one of these days.”

Oscar sighed as his father walked away. He didn’t want his father to walk away. The teenager needed to know everything was going to be ok. He needed to know his Dad was going to be there for him. Winter was going to be angry with him but he needed his Dad.

“Winters pregnant,” he said before he could stop himself.

“Excuse me?” Peter said, turning to face him.

Peter was looking at him with surprise and confusion. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. While he had suspected something was going on, he had never expected this! Oscar had to be wrong or confused about the situation. Perhaps Winter was just worried she was pregnant.

“Winter told me that she’s pregnant,” Oscar admitted.

“Is she sure?” his father asked.

“She took two tests to be safe,” Oscar explained. “She’s pretty sure.”

“Oscar,” Peter said leaning his head against the kitchen wall. “Oscar. We talked about this. We talked about using protection when the time came.”

To his surprise, his father began to gently bang his head against the wall. It was almost as if Peter was trying to shake the memory of what he had just heard from his head.

Peter didn’t know how to react to what he was hearing. His son had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. He had to be dreaming.

“I’m sorry,” Oscar said. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“How far along?” Peter said, pausing his banging.

“I don’t know exactly,” Oscar explained. “Like around two months.”

“Egon is going to kill me,” Peter said closing his eyes. “Maybe both of us.”

“Please don’t tell him yet,” Oscar said. “Winter is too scared to tell anyone.”

“Oh I’m not going to tell him,” his father said, opening his eyes. “You’re going to tell him.”

“Me?” Oscar asked panic overtaking him. “I can’t!”

“If you’re old to get a girl pregnant then you’re old enough to look her father in the eye and tell him,” Peter explained. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there to make sure he doesn’t hurt you.”

“Do we have to tell him right away?” his son asked.

“Putting it off won’t help anyone,” Peter said putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Winter needs to see a doctor to make sure the baby is healthy. You two have a lot to do to get ready for the little one.”

“I know Dad…” he said tears burning in his eyes. “I just feel so guilty. I did this. Winter was planning on going to college. She wanted to visit France. I messed everything up.”

“Sh,” Peter said pulling his son in for a hug. “It’s alright. These things happen. Beating yourself up isn’t going to change anything.”

Peter wasn’t happy with what his son had done but he knew yelling at him wasn’t going to help. His son was clearly confused and scared. Oscar needed support, not a lecture.

‘Thanks, Dad,” Oscar said, drying the tears from his eyes. “Thanks for not losing it.”

“We will talk about this later,” Peter said. “I want you to get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Oscar nodded as he pulled out of his father’s arms. He was grateful his father was being so understanding. He hoped that Egon would be as patient but he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

Janine was worried about her daughter. Clearly something was wrong with her. Winter was throwing up a lot, tired all the time, and moody as hell. It didn’t seem to be getting any better. In fact, she thought it was getting worse. At first, she thought it was just the flu but as time went on she started to think it was something else. 

To make matters worse Winter was trying to act like nothing was wrong. Every time her mother tried to talk to her she would make an excuse and leave. Janine wasn’t sure what was going on but knew she was going to have to figure it out. 

Winter groaned as her alarm clock blared. She was beyond tired and wanted to sleep. The pregnant teen felt sick to her stomach and knew she would vomit as soon as she got up. She had her own bathroom so her morning sickness hadn’t been too hard to hide. 

She reached out and smacked at her alarm clock until it stopped. She pulled her blanket over her head and quickly fell back to sleep.

“Winter!” her mother called knocking on her door. “Are you awake?”

Janine’s voice yanked Winter out of her sleep. She groaned and pushed the blanket off of her. 

“Yes Mom,” she called dragging herself out of the bed. 

Winter knew she had to get up and go to school. She didn’t want her mother noticing how she was feeling. If she saw she was sick Janine might figure out why. She walked into the bathroom and made sure to try and be quiet as she threw up. 

She felt a little better after throwing up. Luckily the urge to vomit never lasted long. She dressed, grabbed her backpack and headed out to the kitchen. Oscar always picked her up and drove her to school. She needed to hurry or he was going to be sitting there waiting. 

Janine was standing in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Luckily her father was nowhere in sight. Winter loved her father but she couldn’t look at him. She was so scared he would see her and be able to figure out what was going on. She never wanted to tell her father she was pregnant. 

“Want breakfast?” her mother asked. 

“No thanks Mom,” Winter said as she went out the door. “I’m running late.”

“Have a good day at school!” her mother shouted as she ran out.

Winter sighed as she walked down a flight of stairs to the lobby. The elevator wouldn’t be quicker if she had to wait for it. Her heart raced as she walked down each step. One day soon she wouldn’t want to take the stairs. She would be too tired and uncomfortable from carrying Oscar’s child. As she walked Winter placed a shaking hand on her stomach. She had another living creature inside of her. It didn’t seem real.

She walked out of the lobby to see Oscars’ jeep up front waiting for her. A big smile appeared on her face as she climbed into the front seat. Her smile didn't last very long. Oscar was frowning and leaning with his head against the driver’s window.

“Oscar?” she asked. “Are you alright?”

“Winter,” he said, turning to look at her. “I did something and I’m afraid you’re going to be mad at me.”

“What did you do?” she asked unable to think of something bad Oscar would do.

“I told my Dad about the baby,” Oscar admitted. 

“What?” Winter asked unable to hide the panic taking over her. “You did what?”

“I’m sorry!” he said banging his hands on his steering wheel. “I should have asked you if it was ok but I didn’t. I needed to tell him. I needed…”

Winter frowned when she realized what her boyfriend was trying to say. He was just as scared as her and needed support. It would be selfish of her not to understand that. 

“How did he take it?” she asked.

“He banged his head against the kitchen wall,” Oscar said with a chuckle starting the jeep. “He’s annoyed with me but he’s going to be there to help us.”

“That’s good,” she said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Did he say he was going to tell my parents?”

“No,” he said, pulling into traffic. “He wants me to tell your Dad.”

“No way,” she said, shaking her head. “I won’t allow it. He’ll kill you.”

Oscar didn’t want to scare his girlfriend but he did plan on telling Egon what was going on. He was going to be working at the fire house that night. Egon was always there on Friday night unless he was sick. If his father wasn’t scheduled to work he would ask him to come in and make sure everything was done in a safe way. 

“Everything is going to fine darling” he said, giving her a little smile. 

\--

Oscar was practically shaking as he walked into the firehouse. He knew he had to do this. He couldn’t let the worry destroy Winter. She wasn’t eating right and she looked awful. She needed to focus on her health and she couldn’t do that when she was still hiding her pregnancy.

He was somewhat disappointed to find his father, Egon, Winston, and Ray were sitting around the Ecto one relaxing. It seemed like they had just gotten in from a job. It was time for Winston to go home and for Oscar to take his place. Janine was at her desk messing around on the computer. 

Peter looked up at him with an interested look. His father was pretty insistive that he told Egon right away. Oscar locked eyes with his father and gave a little nod.

“Um…” Oscar said walking up to the group of them. “Egon...I was wondering...I need to talk to you and Janine about something.”

Egon frowned looking at the teenager. He looked utterly terrified. He remembered the last time he’d seen him like that. When Oscar was 16 he had asked to date Winter. While Egon wasn’t nuts about the two being an item Oscar was still a good kid and he found it very gentleman like to ask him for permission.

“Janine!” Egon called. “Can you come here a minute? Oscar needs to talk to us.”

Janine sighed as she got up from her desk. Something was clearly going on and she was a little afraid to find out what it was. She walked over to the group. Peter got up from his seat and motioned for Janine to sit down.

Oscar opened his mouth but no words came out. Tears burned in his eyes. Egon had trusted him to take good care of Winter and he had failed.

“Tell them,” Peter urged when he didn’t say anything.

“Winter is pregnant,” he said, forcing the words out. 

There was a heavy silence in the room. Janine and Egon were looking at him with wide eyes. Winston and Ray quickly got up from their seats and moved back a little. Both had shocked looks on their faces and it didn’t look like they were very comfortable. 

“What?” Egon asked. “I would like you to repeat that because I think I misunderstood you.”

“She is nearly two months pregnant,” Oscar said. “She was too scared to tell you.”

“I knew something was going on,” Janine said closing her eyes. 

Rage was starting to build inside Egon. His daughter was pregnant. Her life was ruined because of her boyfriend. How could this have happened? 

“You ruined my daughter’s life!” Egon shouted, jumping out of the chair. 

Oscar’s eyes went wide in surprise and he jumped back. He knew Egon wouldn’t be happy but he didn’t actually think he would hurt him. 

“No Egon!” Winston said jumping forward to grab his friend by the shoulder. “Stop!”

“It won’t help,” Peter said helping force the scientist back into his seat.

“You need to go Oscar,” Janine explained. “Give us some time to take this in.”

Oscar nodded and quickly rushed out of there. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Egon until he calmed down.

\---

Winter should have felt better. Her secret was out. Her parents knew she was just about two months pregnant. Yet, things weren’t better. They were worse. Her mother was taking it all right. She had already taken her to the doctor for her first pregnancy check-up. They verified the pregnancy and set up an appointment for an ultrasound. Janine promised everything was going to be alright and she would be there every step of the way.

She wished her father was being so supportive. It’d been a week and her father hadn’t spoken to her. He hadn’t been home for dinner and been making a point to avoid her. Oscar claimed he was being the same way to him. At least he wasn’t trying to kill him.

She wanted to talk to her Dad about going to her ultrasound. Maybe seeing the baby would soften him up a bit. Her mother said she would ask him about it but Winter wanted to ask him.

Even though Winter knew it was a bit risky she was going to ask her father. She knew there was a chance he would just ignore her and even get angry but she was willing to take the risk. They couldn’t go on like that. She needed her father.

She decided it would be best to meet him at work. Winter was supposed to meet Brad, Maria, and Oscar for dinner and then they were doing some light shopping. They were having a night out. If her Dad wasn’t in she would just head over to dinner. 

Winter felt her body beginning to shake as she walked upstairs. Her mother wasn’t there. She had stepped out to pick up food for the guys. She didn’t want her mother there when this happened. 

The teen was somewhat relieved to see her father and Ray messing with a trap. This was her chance and she needed to take it. 

“I’m telling you it needs to be replaced,” Ray said. “The whole system is outdated.”

“Dad,” Winter said walking over to them. “I need to talk to you.”

She saw Egon’s shoulders tense and the screwdriver in his hand slipped a bit. Ray looked at both of them with a worried look. He knew things hadn’t been good between them. 

“I have an appointment next week and I-” Winter started.

Winter didn’t have a chance to even finish her sentence. Egon dropped his tool and stood up. She felt like she was dying inside as her father walked past her. 

“Dad,” the teenager said, turning to face her father. “Please I…”

Egon silently walked out of the room and down the stairs. Ray couldn't believe how his friend was acting. He could understand being frustrated about the situation but ignoring it wasn't going to make it any better. 

“Still not talking to you?” Ray asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “He won’t even look at me.”

“I’m sorry he’s being like that,” Ray said standing up. “You don’t need this kind of crap right now. I’ll talk to him alright? Don’t let it get to you darling. He’ll come around.”

Ray quickly followed after her father. Young Winter was left standing alone. She pulled out her cellphone and sent a quick message to Oscar.

**Dad still won’t talk to me. Idk what to do**

A long moment passed. Tears were leaking out of the corner of her eyes and rolling down her face. 

**Change of plans. Pack a bag and meet us at the Sedgewick Hotel.**

Winter frowned looking at the text. A bag? What did Oscar have planned? 


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Winter got to the hotel, Brad and Oscar were already there talking to the receptionist. 

“I don’t think I’m supposed to do that,” the young woman explained.

It was a woman that Winter didn’t recognize.

“We have a deal with the manager,” Oscar said. “We do this all the time.”

The woman seemed a little uneasy about the situation. A group of unaccompanied minors were standing in front of her asking for a room. She looked down at the computer. It seemed like everything they were saying was in order.

“Fine,” she said retrieving a key. “Make sure not to cause any trouble.”

Oscar smiled taking the key and sliding it in his pocket. It was then that he noticed Winter standing a few feet away. His face fell when he saw the state she was in. Her normally well-groomed curly auburn hair was in a messy ponytail and her eyes were red with tears. Oscar knew she was upset but his girlfriend looked beyond that. The poor girl looked broken.

“Hey,” he said pulling her in for a hug. “Don’t worry about Egon. We’re going to have a fun night and I’m going to put a smile on your face. Maria is getting dinner. I want you to eat a decent meal tonight.”

Winter forced a small smile on her face. She wasn’t sure anything could get her to take her mind off her father but she was at least going to try.

-

Egon looked down at his cup of coffee as Ray talked to him. It seemed his friend was done with the way he was treating Winter. Of course, he knew he was right. He was being very cruel to his daughter and he knew it had to stop.

“You have to let up on her,” Ray explained. “She isn’t the first teen to get pregnant.”

“I know,” Egon said. “I know what I’m doing is very wrong.”

“Then why are you doing it?” his friend asked.

“I can’t look at her,” he said, setting his coffee down on the table. “I let her down and I can’t face that.”

“What?” Ray asked. “I thought you were mad at her. What are you talking about?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m mad at myself. I should have already had her on birth control. She should have felt comfortable coming to me or Janine about this. I did something wrong and now she is suffering because of it.”

No reply came from his friend. Egon snuck a glance at his friend to find him wearing a surprised look. This hadn’t been what Ray had been expecting at all. 

“You need to talk to her,” Ray said. “She thinks you hate her. That girl is broken. I know it might be really hard but you need to.”

Egon hated the idea that his daughter was so upset. Hurting her had never been the plan. He loved Winter with everything he had. 

“Alright,” he said standing up from the table. “I will. I know I’ve put it off for too long.”

“Good luck,” Ray said.

Egon knew he was going to need all the luck he could get. He needed to apologize to Winter about how he was acting and he wasn’t sure what he was going to say

_

Janine sat down on the couch and placed her bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. It was her night off and she was going to try to enjoy it. She wished Winter was home but knew she needed to spend time with her friends. Her daughter needed to be a normal teenager despite the mess she was in. 

She wasn’t angry with her Winter. Yes, she was a bit annoyed with Winter and Oscar for having sex without protection but she understood. It happened and she was going to have to help her get through it. Janine made it very clear that there would be no more “accidents” while she was still young. 

Mrs.  Spengler was angry with her husband. She understood Egon’s frustration about the situation but she did not like how he was handling it. Not talking to your own child over an accidental pregnancy was not an option. It was really starting to affect Winter.

The sound of the front door caused Janine to look over her shoulder. She hoped it was Winter. It was half-past nine and she was expecting her daughter in by ten. Winter hadn’t called to tell her she was going to be late so there was no reason to expect her home late. As soon as she caught sight of her husband she turned her head back to the television. Jaine picked up the remote and turned on her movie. 

“Is Winter home yet?” Egon asked. 

“No,” Janine said, not bothering to pause her movie.

She was going to give him the cold shoulder as long as he planned to do it with their daughter. 

“Darling,” he said walking over to her. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I know it was out of line.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” she said glancing at him.

“I know,” he said, taking a deep sigh. “I’m going to talk to her as soon as she gets home. I...I just didn’t know how to talk to her. I feel terrible for letting this whole thing happen.” 

Janine knew what Egon was feeling. She was also feeling guilty about not talking to their daughter about birth control. They were partly to blame for this mess and they needed to help clean up the mess. At least he was coming around. She gave her husband a little smile and moved to make room for him on the couch. 

“Winter should be home soon,” she explained. “You can sit with me until she gets home but then I expect you to apologize to her.”

Egon nodded and sat down next to her. He knew he had to make things right with his daughter. Their relationship had been damaged and it was going to take time to fix. 

__

Winter smiled looking at Maria and Brad. They were both sleeping in the other bed. Maria was under the blankets fast asleep. Brad was lying on top of the covers but had an extra blanket on him. Winter was lying in the other bed wearing Oscar’s official ghostbuster work shirt. It was long enough to cover her more private bits. Due to her stressed mental state she had forgotten her PJs. 

“Too bad Brad isn’t into girls,” Oscar said sliding under the blankets. “They would make a cute couple.”

“Oscar!” she said playfully hitting his shoulder. “Stop it. You know Brad is sensitive about that.”

To her surprise Oscar began to kiss along her ear and down her next. She playfully whacked at him again. It had been a little bit since they’d done anything sexual. She was far too stressed about the baby to have sex.

“Come on,” he said. “I’m dying for you girl.”

“What about them?” Winter asked nodding towards their best friends.

“They’re both out cold,” he said reaching down to fumble with his bag. “I promise I won’t be loud.”

Winter blushed at the thought of doing...it...with her best friends in the same room. Yeah, they were asleep but it still felt naughty. 

“You don’t have to baby,” he said seeing her resistance. “I just thought it would be fun.”

“Let’s do it,” she said pulling the long shirt out of the way. “You’re right. They’re out cold.”

Oscar smiled from ear to ear as he fished out a bottle of lube. He took off his PJ bottoms and boxers. Winter couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of him struggling with his own clothes. She slid off her panties and pushed them to the side. Her legs fell open wide as her boyfriend settled down between them.

Winter groaned a little bit as her boyfriend slid inside her. She was pretty adjusted to him but the initial penetration always surprised her. He took his time sliding into her. Oh, man. She felt so tight and damp around him. It took everything for him not to cum right there. 

“Oscar…” she whispered, closing her eyes.

Oh, that voice drove Oscar wild. It was so soft and silky. He lowered his head to plant little kisses along her neck. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around Oscar's waist pulling him in tight.

“You’ll be the end of me girl,” he said giving her ear a little lick.

As Oscar began to thrust inside his girlfriend he tried to be quiet. He didn’t want to wake his friends. While he didn’t really care too much if they saw him having sex he knew Winter was private about the sort of thing.

Winter knew her boyfriend wasn’t going to last long. It had just been too long since their last session. She slid a hand between them and began to touch herself. She was determined to have an orgasm. The stress relief would do her a lot of good.

“I need my hips up a bit,” Winter explained.

Even though it killed him to stop Oscar paused his thrusting. He wanted to make sure she was having a good time too. He reached up and grabbed one of the pillows and slid it under Winter’s hips. 

“Better?” Oscar asked as he started thrusting again.

“Oh yea,” she said moving the hand between her legs faster. “Right there. Please go faster.”

That position usually did it for Winter. She bit down on her lip to hold the noises in. Her body began to tremble as she fell over the edge. Oscar couldn’t hold on anymore. She was squeezing him with everything she had. He gave a hard thrust as he emptied inside of her. Neither of them seemed to notice the squeaking of the bed.

Winter’s legs dropped from to the bed and she let out a loud yawn. Oscar chanced a glance at Maria and Brad. Maria was fast asleep curled up. Brad was clearly awake but was pretending to sleep. His eyes were closed but there was a smile on his face. Oscar would have to thank him for faking sleep later. He stuffed his bottle of lube back into his bag and laid out next to his girlfriend.

“Thanks,” she said. “I really needed that.”

“No prob girl,” he said kissing her cheek. 

“My parents are going to freak when they find out we came here. I feel bad for dragging Maria and Brad into this,” Winter explained.

All of their phones had started buzzing a bit after ten o'clock. No doubt their parents were looking for them. The hotel would be one of the last places they checked. After all, they had never found them there before. 

“Get some sleep girl,” Oscar said yawned. “We’ll deal with it in the morning.”

Winter curled up against her boyfriend and quickly fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Winter groaned as she opened her eyes. A light buzzing noise was pulling her out of her sleep. The teenager reached out and blindly reached for her phone that sat on the bedside table. She flipped it open and looked at her text. Her mother had sent over a dozen text messages. She scrolled through some of them.

You’re a bit late honey.  
Where are you?   
Are you alright?  
Baby, I’m getting worried.  
Are you with Oscar?  
Tell Oscar his parents are worried.  
I’m really worried.   
Please let me know you’re alright.

Winter felt a wave of guilt. Her mother had been wonderful about this whole thing and she had left her worrying. She quickly typed up a message.

I’m fine. Oscar, Maria, and Brad are with me. 

She set the phone back down. A glance at the alarm clock told her it was almost six in the morning. No doubt all their parents had been up all night worried sick. Well minus her father of course. 

Winter got out of bed and grabbed her bag. Her plan was to get dressed and then wake everyone else up. She knew they needed to face the music. 

As Winter changed into clean clothes she wondered what her options really were. Would her father ever come around? It didn’t seem like he was going to be able to handle this whole situation. 

She decided to leave Oscar’s shirt on. It was cute and maybe it would help drive home to her father that this wasn’t going away. The shirt bore the Ghostbuster’s logo and her boyfriend’s name in small print. She was going to have Oscar’s child and one day they would get married. The thought of marrying the love of her life made her feel giddy.

Winter walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed. A sleepy Oscar sat up and yawned. The reality of the situation quickly set in. He knew they were all going to have to pay for taking off and being gone all night.

“I hope I don’t get you into more trouble,” Oscar said as he dressed. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”

The thought of going home and facing her parents shook her to the core. Winter didn’t want to get in any more trouble. Her mother had been so supportive and she had betrayed her trust. No doubt her father was going to be even angrier with her.

“I don’t want to go home darling,” Winter admitting letting her true feelings out. 

“You don’t have to yet,” he said. “Let’s wake up Maria and Brad and go out for breakfast. I’ll text my Dad and let him know what’s going on.”

“No,” she said shaking her head.”I don’t want to ever go home.”

“What?” he asked wrapped an arm around her. Her backpack got in the way a bit but he managed. “What are you saying?”

“I can’t go back,” she said tears filling her eyes. “Dad hates me and Mom is going to be angry I took off.”

Oscar didn’t know what to say. His girlfriend was breaking down again and he had no way to help her. He wished he could fix it but he couldn’t. A feeling of complete hopelessness was taking over him.

The same growling from before returned but it was louder. Winter calmed her tears to listen to the strange noise. The source of the noise seemed to be behind the closet door. Her eyes fixed on the wooden door. A very dim blue light was leaking through the frame of the door.

“What is that?” Winter asked, pointing at the door.

“I think there is something in the closet,” he explained. “Hold on.”

Oscar bent down and pulled his PKE meter out of his bag. He almost never went anywhere without it. It was always fun to pull it out and show people. He flicked it on and gasp when the numbers started going off the chart.

“Brad!” Oscar shouted. “Maria! Wake up!”

The two of them grumbled but started to stir. 

“What’s going on?” Brad asked, sitting up.

“Something is in there,” Winter said pointing at the closet. 

The door flung open on its own and a wave of thick smoke began to fill the room. Winter let out a loud scream as she felt someone wrap around her feet. It felt like a pair of hands with long claws were wrapped around her thin ankles. She couldn’t see anything but she could feel claws digging into her ankles. She was yanked forward and off the bed.

Winter quickly slid across the floor and halfway into the closet. Her backpack strap caught on the edge of the closet door keeping her from being dragged in fully. Oscar dropped the PKE meter and raced to help his girlfriend.

“Winter!” Oscar shouted grabbing his girlfriend’s hand.”Brad! Maria! Help!”

Brad and Maria jumped to their feet and raced to help pull Winter free of whatever entity this was. Winter was screaming and kicking her legs in a vain attempt to free herself. Her backpack strap snapped and she slipped further into the darkness. 

Even with all three of her friends pulling this thing was pulling her into the closet. Darkness started covering them all as they were pulled into the closet. Through the darkness, Oscar could make out the outline of a small creature. It looked like some form of troll. The creature was short and an arched back.

“Let go!” Oscar screamed kicking at the creature. 

Despite the fact Oscar was barefoot he managed to give the creature a hard kick to the head. It let out a cry of pain and dropped Winter. The panicked girl quickly fell into her boyfriend’s arms. She was shaking like a leaf from the shock of what had happened. Maria and Brad quickly pulled their friends into a group hug. 

“Sh,” Oscar said gently touching Winter’s hair. “It’s alright. It’s gone.”

Brad looked up and around the dark void, they were in. It looked like they were in some kind of trans dimensional space. Even though they had walked into a small closet it looked like the darkness around them never ended. His eyes darted around the darkness for any sign of the door they had come through. A very small glimmer of light was just visible. 

“Come on,” Brad said. “We need to get out of here. That thing might come back.”

“Brad’s right,” Maria said. “That thing was dangerous.”

Winter nodded but still didn’t remove herself from Oscar’s arms. She was too terrified. She never wanted to let go of him again. She allowed Brad to take her backpack and carry it for her. Moving as close together as possible the group moved toward the light.

Oscar let out a sigh of relief as they walked back into the hotel room. He helped Winter sit down on the bed. The teen was still shaking but she seemed to be calming down.

“What was that?” Maria asked.

“I don’t know,” Oscar said still in shock himself. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Brad raised an eyebrow looking around the room. Something was wrong. It looked to be the same room but it was different. The large flat screen was gone and was replaced with an ancient CRT model. 

“Where are our bags?” Maria asked, looking around the beds. “I don’t see my stuff.”

“Are we in the wrong room?” Winter questioned.

Oscar looked up to see his panicked friends looking around the room. Something clearly was wrong. Their stuff was gone and the only piece of tech in the room was an old tv. He looked back at the closet door. What the hell had just happened? He picked up the phone and dialed for the receptionist.

“Hello,” a calm female voice answered.

“What’s the date?” Oscar questioned.

“August 4th sir,” the woman answered sounding a bit confused.

Well, that was the wrong date for sure. Maybe this creature was capable of time travel. Oscar had to make sure they were in the right year. 

“The year!” Oscar said feeling panicked.

“It’s 1985 sir what-” she started sounding just as confused as he was.

Oscar didn’t let her finish. He hung up the phone. While he felt bad for being short with the lady he couldn’t control the panic that was starting to take over. 

“What is happening?” Maria asked.

“We need to find our parents,” he said standing up. 

“Oscar,” Winter said, holding onto his arm. “You need to tell us what’s happening.”

“I think that we were in some kind of portal,” Oscar explained. “We’re in the past. It’s 1985 right now. We need to find our parents. Can you walk Winter?”

“Yes,” she said allowing him to help her to her feet.

She was still shaky but she could stand. Her ankles were hurting a bit. That creature's claws had dug into her ankles and she bore several large scratches. 

Oscar, Brad, and Winter started walking out of the room. They knew they had to get out of there before they got caught. They could get in trouble for being there. After all, no one knew who they were.

“Hey!” Maria said running to catch up. “We don’t even have shoes! How can we walk around New York without shoes?”

\--

None of them knew what they were going to do. They were strangers in a strange land. Would their parents even believe them? Winter was the only one with shoes on so they had to be careful of trash on the sidewalk. Despite the early hour they still managed to get a few strange looks. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t all go in at once,” Winter said when they reached the firehouse. “It might be a bit much.”

“Oscar should go in,” Brad suggested. “He’s always our representative when we get in trouble.”

Oscar knew that was true. He usually knew how to talk to people so they didn’t get angry with them. This was one of the few times he wasn’t sure of what to do or say. He knew their parents would question them at great lengths about it and he had no way to prove his story. Perhaps Winter had something in her bag that would help.

“Do you have anything convincing?” Oscar asked. “I mean...you’re the only one with anything.”

“Um…” Winter fumbled a bit as she thought. “My cellphone was on the bed. I might have something else.”

Brad handed Winter the bag as she drug through it a bit. It didn’t really contain much. It contained a couple of clothing items, makeup, hairbrush, and her iPod with its headphones. She smiled a bit and handed him the iPod. 

“Maybe it’ll work,” he said. “It’s something.”

Oscar walked into the door leaving his friends outside. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. The place didn’t look much different. Ecto-1 was sitting there as usual with a few chairs scattered around it. Janine was sitting at her desk looking down at paperwork with a cup of coffee in her hand. He could just see Peter behind her in his office reading.

His father was sitting there reading as if nothing interesting was going on.

“Excuse me,” Oscar said taking the first step. “I need some help.”

“What kind of subnatural assistance do you need?” Janine asked flipping a page of the paperwork.

“I’m a time traveler,” Oscar explained. 

“Dr. Venkman,” Janine called not bothering to look up from her paper. “Do we handle time travelers?”

“Are they transdimensional?” Peter asked not looking up from his book.

“I don’t know,” Oscar said trying to be patient even though he was panicking inside. “Something attacked me and pulled me through a closet. I was in 2003 and now I’m in 1985.”

Peter grumbled setting his book down. He stood up and walked over to him. His father looked half asleep and grumpy.

“Why don’t you go take a little break?” Peter asked looking at Janine. “Make some coffee or something.”

“No prob,” she said standing up. 

Janine took her paperwork and headed off to the kitchen. This time traveler nonsense wasn’t worth her time.

“We are ghostbusters,” Peter explained. “We don’t normally handle this sort of thing. Come back when you have a ghost.”

“Look,” Oscar said. “I know this sounds insane but it’s true. Look, have you ever seen anything like this before?”

Oscar held out the iPod for his father to take. Peter looked down at the device with a bit of interest. It was small and white with a screen. Oscar turned it on and held up one of the headphones for his father.

“It has music on it,” his son explained. “You can listen to it anywhere. You load the music on with a computer.”

Peter couldn’t believe that. This thing wasn’t as big as a pack of cigarettes and this kid was telling it had music on it. He decided to humor the kid. After all, he had nothing else better to do. He put the headphones on and allowed Oscar to mess around with the buttons on the machine.

To Peter’s surprise music began to fill his ears. Well, the music was being generous. This just sounded like loud screaming and drums to him. He raised an eyebrow and slid the headphones down off his ears. This kid was claiming to be from the future and he had a piece of advanced tech. Oscar turned off the power and looked at his father waiting for his reaction. 

“Please,” Oscar said when Peter didn’t say anything.”I have something you’ve never seen before. Just give a chance. I need help.”

“What’s your name kid?” Peter asked.

“Oscar Venkman,” he explained. “Hi, Dad. Well, future Dad.”

Peter’s eyes widened a bit at this information. Oscar watched as he tried to collect himself from the shock. 

“Ok,” Peter said. “Why won’t you come upstairs and we’ll figure this out.”

He wasn't really sure he believed what this stranger was saying but he was willing to at least hear his story. 

“Hold on,” Oscar said running back to the entrance door.

“Where are you going now?” he questioned shaking his head.

“I have to get my friends,” the young Venkman explained. “I have three other people with me.”

Peter couldn’t believe what was happening. All he wanted was one calm morning. Was that too much to ask for?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanda. I haven't forgotten about the other story. I've been sicker than a dog and I do plan on doing it.

Maria couldn’t believe the situation they were in. She found herself glaring across the table at Oscar. She was stuck in a crazy situation all because he was too lazy to remember to always use a condom. Oscar quickly lowered his eyes to his hands. He was to blame for this whole mess and there wasn’t much he could do about it. 

Brad gave his friend a sympathetic look. Oscar couldn't help what had happened. Some kind of creature had attacked him and his friend hadn’t caused it. They were all in shock from what had happened. 

As soon as Winter had walked into the firehouse she started throwing up and went to the rec room to lie down. Oscar blamed the time travel incident for her sickness. He knew his girlfriend wouldn’t want them to know about the baby. The situation was already complicated enough.

Janine seemed a little wary of their story. It seemed unbelievable and unlikely. While she would jump at the chance for a relationship with Egon she didn’t think it would ever happen. Despite that, they all felt bad that the three teenagers didn’t have any shoes and had sent Janine shopping.

Peter and Winston sat across from the trio unsure of what to say. Of all the days for Egon and Ray to be sick it had to be that day. Both of them were out with a summer flu. 

“So let me get this right,” Winston said. “The four of you snuck out, got a hotel room, and then were attacked by a gremlin?” 

“It wasn’t a gremlin,” Brad said. “More like a troll.”

Peter frowned looking from each teenager to the next with a confused look. Clearly, they were leaving something out of their story. The kids were being careful about their answers. Brad and Maria would glance at Oscar as they spoke and as if they were getting his ok. 

“What’s the real story?” Peter asked, leaning back in his chair. “You’re not telling us something.”

Again Maria and Brad turned their eyes to Oscar. Oscar knew Winter’s pregnancy would come out but he was trying to save her a little embarrassment and frustration. However, it seemed unavoidable. 

“We were trying to cheer Winter up,” Oscar explained. “She has been really down lately. That’s the reason we were snuck off like we did.”

“Just tell them,” Maria said starting to get a bit annoyed. “It might have something to do with all this.”

Peter turned his eyes to focus on his future son. Oscar was looking at his hands and was shaking a little bit. At least, they were getting closer to figuring this whole thing out.

“Winter is pregnant,” Oscar admitted. “Egon isn’t even talking to her because of it. We just wanted to cheer her up. That’s all.”

Peter didn’t need to ask who the father was. He could tell by the guilty look on his son’s face. Winston raised an eyebrow looking at Peter. Neither was quite sure how to react to the information. Perhaps it was just best to not dwell on it too much. 

“Maybe it’s some kind of creature that feeds off this stuff?” Winston asked, trying to think of a way to explain this whole thing. “Like stress or guilt.”

“That’s possible,” Peter said. “Good thinking. I bet with enough research we can figure out what did this.”

“Ray has a bunch of books on this stuff,” Winston said. “Maybe you can take the kids over to his place and let them dig through his stuff. It would give them something to do.”

“Sounds good,” Peter said getting up from the table. “I’m going to give him a call and see how he’s doing. If he’s feeling better we’d head over there after Janine gets back with your shoes.”

\--

Ray sniveled a bit as he put the phone on the hook. Peter needed to borrow some of his books on mythical creatures. He didn’t really say why it sure sounded important. The ghostbuster yawned and pulled himself out of bed. He and Egon had been sick for a few days now and he was finally starting to feel better.

He walked out of the living room and started digging through books. After retrieving an empty box from the corner Ray began putting books into it that he thought would be good choices. He had no idea what Peter was up to. Perhaps a client had come in with an interesting story. Hopefully, it wasn’t another case like last time. He had nearly died about a year ago and he wasn’t ready to go through that again.

Just as Ray finished collecting the books he thought Peter would be interested in he heard a knock on the door. Perfect timing. He walked to the front door and opened it expecting it to just be Peter. To his surprise, four teenagers walked in and past him. Peter was right behind them.

“Who are they?” Ray asked, pointing to the kids. “I thought you were coming over to borrow books, Peter.”

“Oh,” Peter said glancing at them as if he had forgotten they existed. “Them? They’re from the future. I guess some creature pulled them through a time warp. They wanted to do a little research and figure out what it was.”

“The future?” Ray asked, trying to comprehend what was happening. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I wish I was,” he explained. “They are our kids...well not our kids….but you know what I mean. Keep an eye on the brunette she’s a couple of months pregnant. Make sure she eats lunch. Behave you guys. I have to get back to work.”

“Bye Dad,” Oscar called as Peter shut the door.

Ray stood there in his entryway in complete confusion. What the hell had just happened?

\--

Winter sat on the couch with a book open on her lap. The teenager was looking through the old hand drawings of mythical creatures. Even though she had only caught a glance of the creature she hoped she’d recognize it. She had jogged down all she could remember about the creature in a notebook and handed it off to her friends.

She was to blame for this whole mess and wanted to make things right. They were causing all kinds of trouble for their parents. Winter was slightly happy her own father was sick because it meant she didn’t have to face him. Even though it seemed her mother didn’t believe their story she had still been nice enough. Janine bought them shoes and a change of clothes. 

“You doing ok?” Ray’s voice broke her thoughts. 

“Yea,” Winter said turning a page of the book. “Just tired.”

Ray gave her and her friends a worried look. The kids had been working through the books and keeping very clean notes for most of the day. She was Egon’s daughter for sure. The young girl was very hardworking and focused on her task. Maybe she was a bit too hard working. Her half-eaten grilled cheese from lunch sat next to her on the couch. It was nearly dinner time and she hadn’t eaten much or taken as many bracks as her friends. 

Those kids needed a break, especially a pregnant teenager. He walked into the kitchen and found Brad starting in the open refrigerator. Ray wasn’t used to having so many people over and didn’t have a lot of food.

“Why don’t you kids head down the street and rent some tapes,” Ray asked, digging through one of the kitchen drawers. “Here’s my card. They shouldn’t give any trouble. Pick up a pizza too. I have no idea when Peter plans on picking you guys up.”

“Thanks, Da…” Brad started taking the card. “Oh...I guess I should just call you Ray or something.”

“No it’s ok,” Ray said waving him off. “So are you guys getting anywhere?”

“I think so,” his son said glancing towards the living room. “By the appearance, we  
narrowed it down to the Namahage, Krampus, Black Annis or the Gurumapa. I suggested the boogieman but they kind of laughed at him.”

“I can clearly see Oscar and Winter are a couple,” he said. “I assume he’s the father of the baby.”

“Yep,” he said chuckling a bit. “Those two are always stuck together.”

“How about you and Maria?” he asked. “You two seem pretty close.”

“Oh no way,” Brad said, shaking his head. “I could never look at Maria that way.”

“How come?” Ray asked. “She seems like a nice girl.”

Brad really didn’t want to go there with his father. He had only “come out” to his dearest friends. There was no way he was ready to tell his parents. He needed to know how they were going to react before he told them. Ray frowned watching his son struggle with what to say. Clearly something was on his mind. 

“Brad!” Winter called. “Where did you put that book on the Gurumapa? I can’t find it.”

“Coming!” Brad said jumping at the chance to get out of the conversation. 

\--

“What are you planning?” Ray asked into the phone as he sat down on the bed.

“I’m going to go see Egon first thing in the morning,” Peter said yawning a bit. “I just got done with a job so I’m too tired to go over there. Can you keep the kids tonight? We’ll have to figure out what to do with them tomorrow.”

“Not a problem,” Ray said. “I just sent them out to pick up dinner.”

“How is Winter?” his friend asked. “She was pretty sick this morning.”

“She’s fine as far as I can tell,” he explained. “I’m going to make sure she eats and I’ll check on her before bed.”

“They having any luck figuring this whole thing out?” he asked.

“Peter,” he said. “What do we do if we can’t get them back?” 

“I don’t know,” Peter said after a long pause. “All we can do is hope we can figure this out. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have Egon. That should make things move things a bit faster.”

Ray hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He had to figure out a way to get those kids home. 

__

Winter yawned as she curled up on the couch. The flicker of the small television filled the small room with light. Even though it was just after ten they were all tired. She glanced up to see Brad already fast asleep in the recliner. He was never much of a night owl and was usually the first one of them to fall asleep. Oscar was sitting next to her only half watching the movie with a piece of pizza in his mouth. Maria was fast asleep as well. She was on the far end of the couch curled up in the corner of the couch. 

Ray was struggling with where to put the kids to sleep. He had an extra bedroom but didn’t know who to put there. He wanted Winter to sleep there but who should he put with her. Was it ok to let Oscar sleep there or should he wake Maria and put the two girls together? Winter was already pregnant so it wasn’t like Oscar could cause any problems but was putting them together the right thing to do? They were still teenagers. Finally, he decided it wasn’t worth worrying about. 

“Hey you two,” Ray said walking into the living room. “Why don’t you two get ready for bed? It’s getting late.”

“Where are we sleeping?” Oscar asked getting up from the couch.

“You two can take the extra bedroom,” Ray explained. “I use it as a bit of storage room but the bed is still there.”

Winter was a little surprised by this. He was going to let them sleep together? Oh well, she wasn’t going to argue. She was beyond tired and ready to sleep.

-

Ray wasn’t kidding when he said it was a bit of a storage room. The closet door was blocked by boxes of books and bits of science equipment. Winter slipped under the blankets and snuggled up in a ball. She felt so strange lying there. It felt kind of weird sleeping in Brad’s future room. Even though it wasn’t his room it still felt like his room. This house was a bit different but it was still the house she’d grown up playing in.

It was Winter’s second night away from home and she was starting to feel it. She missed her parents so much. Even though her father wouldn’t talk to her at least she got to see him. At least she would overhear him talking to her mother and snoring in the next bedroom. Why did she miss him so much? He had turned his back on her but it hurt her too much to do the same thing to him.

“You ok?” Oscar asked, sliding into the bed next to her.

“I'm a bit homesick,” Winter admitted. 

“Don’t worry honey,” he said curling up tight against her. “We’ll figure this out and get home.”

“Do we have to go home?” she asked. “I mean...we could stay here.”

Oscar was worried Winter would think about doing that. She seemed so scared of returning home and facing her father.

“What?” he asked. “I thought you were homesick.”

“I am but...maybe it would be best for everyone if we stayed here,” Winter explained. “We could make a life here and not have to worry about my father.”

“Oh Winter,” he said “Your Dad is going to come around. Just give him a little time. I don’t think running away is going to fix anything.”

Winter didn’t want to admit it but she knew he was right. If they made the decision to stay they might be happy for a while but soon it would fade. She would quickly regret it and she’d miss having her parents in her life. Not to mention Brad and Maria. She knew they wanted to get back and she wouldn’t want to make them stay. Those two were like a brother and sister to her. She couldn’t imagine living life without them. 

“Oh Oscar,” she yawned closing her eyes. “Why are you so perfect and wonderful? You always know the right thing to say and do.”

Oscar frowned at those words and he felt a pit in his stomach. He was far from perfect.

“Get some sleep,” he said kissing her cheek. “You need it.”

Winter was fast asleep within a few minutes. Oscar pushed his thoughts from his head and closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Oscar felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He wanted to make his girlfriend happy but his feelings mattered too. All he wanted was to get home and fix this mess. Poor Winter looked so upset about the thought of returning home. Yet, he knew it was the right thing to do. Running never fixed anything. That was something that He needed to remember.

Oh, Oscar. Why are you so perfect and wonderful? You always know the right thing to say and do.

Those words burned deep in Oscar’s soul. Winter thought so highly of him. If she knew what he was hiding from her it wouldn’t end well. He knew it was wrong to keep secrets from her. She never kept anything from him. His girlfriend had told him about the baby as soon as she was sure. In fact, she'd never lied about anything to him before. Yet, he knew he had to keep this one inside. 

Oscar walked downstairs with Maria at his side and a full trap in his hand. As soon as they had walked into the firehouse that morning his father had sent them to empty traps. He had jumped at the chance. He knew Egon was upstairs and he really wasn’t ready to face him. 

“You're going to make Winter do that on her own?” Maria asked as Oscar slid the trap in. 

“Maybe it’s for the best,” he said, flicking a few switches. “This is really about their relationship. Maybe I should have just stayed out of this from the start. She wanted to tell her Dad when she was ready.”

“You were just trying to help,” Maria explained. “You didn’t want her to have to face him like that and you were trying to take responsibility.”

“It seems like I always screw things up,” he said, pulling the empty trap out. “Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything right.”

“You’re a nice guy,” Maria said. “You always want to help. All you want is for things to be easy for Winter and for her to be happy. You’re willing to do anything for her. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

She thought he just felt guilty about the pregnancy. That's what everyone thought. They would all think he was trash if they knew the other reason he was doing everything he could to make Winter happy. Oscar forced a smile as they headed back upstairs. He did love Winter and he only wanted what was best for her but did he know what was best for her? It didn’t seem like he had a clue what he was doing but he was determined to give it his best shot. 

-

Winter stood at the base of the stairs wondering if she was making the right choice. Her father was upstairs waiting to meet her. What would he think of her? Would he be surprised? Disappointed? It just didn’t seem like something that would end well. So many thoughts flew through her head. She walked out of the stairway and back to her mother’s desk. 

Janine gave the young girl a curious look. At first, she hadn’t believed their story at all. Yet, as she looked at Winter she began to accept it more and more. There was just something about the girl. This child seemed so sweet, shy, and grateful. Janine bought them all a change of clothes along with their shoes the day before. She didn’t have a lot of money and had gotten them some second-hand things. She had gotten excited about the dragon shirt she had found for her. The situation just didn’t seem real. Her future daughter was standing in front of her. Her and Egon’s future daughter. That thought sent a wave of different emotions all through her. Egon was starting to show a little more interest in her but they weren't dating. 

“I thought you were going to see Eg...you father,” she said trying to get used to the idea.

“He hasn’t talked to me in over a week,” Winter explained. “I don’t even know what to say to him.”

Janine knew things weren’t good between the two of them since he found out she was pregnant. Oscar had made that clear. Winter hadn’t thrown up that morning and she was feeling horribly nauseous. They had stopped off for breakfast but she had just nibbled at her egg sandwich. The secretary could see it showing up on the young girl’s face. 

“Just introduce yourself,” Janine said. “Remember he doesn’t even know who you are. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Winter said before forcing herself back to the stairway.

Janine’s heart skipped at being called Mom. It was something she had always dreamed about being called. 

She needed to find the courage to do this. Winter slowly made her way up the stairs. If things didn’t go well she could just walk away. Winston had told her he was upstairs in his lab working on a stuck trap. Everyone promised they would be left alone. They all seemed to understand this was a delicate moment for both of them.

Egon was sitting at a table with an open trap in front of him. He was pushing on one of the levers over and over testing it. He had been told briefly about the situation and it wasn’t really sinking in. It was hard enough to picture himself as a father. He knew that was a job he wouldn’t do well. He looked up as he heard someone walking closer.

A young teenage girl was standing a few feet away from her. She was holding a pair of bright green glasses in her hand and was cleaning them on the edge of her shirt. He didn’t know if he should speak first or wait. She placed her glasses back on her face and fixed her eyes with his.

“Hi,” the teen said softly. “I’m Winter.”

“Sit down,” he said nodding to the chair. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Winter sat down across from her father. He was right. She felt awful. 

“Sorry,” she said. “This is just weird for me.”

“I can sympathize,” Egon said. “Just try telling me facts about yourself. Perhaps beginning with mundane details would be easiest.”

“Um…” she said, trying to think of what to say first. “I'm sixteen. My birthday is on October 21st, 1987. I’m in the 10th grade. I like science but not planning on becoming a ghostbuster or anything.”

She waited for her father to make a comment but he didn’t. He was just sitting there listening. She couldn’t remember the last time he had just listened to her like this.

“I like rap and hard rock music,” she said, the words flowing a bit easier. “I guess that’s what brought me and Oscar together. We both love that kind of music. We’ve been together for about eight months now.”

Why wasn’t Egon surprised that Peter’s son got his daughter pregnant? He was slightly surprised his friend didn’t already have a few little surprises running around. 

“I guess my choice in men is what put us here,” Winter said, picking up a screwdriver and idly fiddling with it. 

“Missteps happen,” Egon said, trying to pick his words carefully. “I’m sure Oscar is a fine person.”

Winter felt tears pulling at her eyes. Even though her father wasn’t saying much he was talking to her. He wasn’t looking at her with that judgmental look. 

“I…Dad I...” she said, tears flowing down her eyes. 

“Did I upset you?” he asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No...I’m just happy.”

Egon gave the girl a confused look. He got up from his seat and rushed over to the sink. He tore off a sheet of paper towel off and handed it to his daughter. She dried her tears and tried to calm them. She knew she was being dramatic or emotional.

“I’ve been so emotional lately,” she said once she got her tears under control. “I don’t mean to.”

“It’s perfectly normal,” he said sitting down next to her. “Your hormones must be very irregular right now.”

Egon knew that teenagers' hormones were often irregular and being pregnant couldn’t be helping that. 

“I can’t control how I’m acting in the future,” he explained. “I apologize for anything I do in the future that hurts you.”

Judging by the way Winter was acting he wasn't the best father in the world. How could he be so unsympathetic to such a sweet girl?

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a little smile.

Talking to her father made her feel better. Even though it had led to tears she needed it. 

“Have you eaten today?” he asked.

“Not really,” Winter said. “I guess I was just too stressed.”

“You should go get some breakfast,” he said. “You need the nutrients.”

“I know,” she said standing up. “Thanks for listening. I guess I should go get something to eat.”

Money. No doubt Winter and her friends needed spending money while they were there. 

“Let me give you some money,” Egon said, rushing to get his wallet. “Do you need anything else?”

“I kind of need a few more clothes,” she said. “I don't have many clothes.”

Winter felt a little weird asking him for money. She didn’t usually ask her parents for too much. He pulled out a bit of money and handed it to her.

“You’re my daughter,” he said. “If you require anything you can come to me or your...your mother. If you don’t mind me asking just how did that union come about?”

Part of him couldn't believe that he married Janine and produced a child. She was a lovely woman but he wasn't one to get involved romantically with others. 

“I don’t really know,” she said, sliding the money in her pocket. “You don’t have any kind of story you tell or anything.”

“Alright,” he said nodding. “Go get something to eat and enjoy yourself.”

Winter smiled and got up from the table. She was glad she had forced herself to walk up those stairs and talk to her Dad. For the first time in ages, she was actually happy.


	8. Chapter 8

Dana wasn’t even surprised when Peter told her what was going on. After what she’d been through nothing surprised her. Her boyfriend and his friends had saved the planet from a trans dimensional creature. Could she really be that surprised by a little time traveling? 

As son as Peter told her what was going on she headed to Ghostbusters’ headquarters. She couldn’t wait to meet her future son and his friends. While she wasn’t sure if she could help with getting them sent back but she could at least be moral support. 

Dana walked into headquarters to find the place unusually quiet. The Ecto 1 was gone and Janine was sitting at her desk. Her face was deep in a magazine. 

“Hello Janine,” she said approaching the desk. “The guys around?”

“Just headed out,” the secretary said, lowering her reading material. 

“Are the kids here?” Dana asked, leaning against her desk.

“Just Brad and Oscar,” she explained nodding towards the stairs. “Maria and Winter went out shopping.”

“Do you believe their story?” the musician asked. “I mean...it sounds crazy but we’ve both seen crazier stuff.”

“Got that right,” she said with a nod. “I don’t have any reason not to believe them. I really don’t see anything happening between Egon and me but...but I guess it’s possible.”

“Give it a shot,” Dana said, walking away. “I never thought I’d be serious about Peter but here we are. Is it alright if I head up and see my future son?”

“Sure,” the secretary said, returning to her magazine. “I think they’re just up there messing around.”

Dana gave her a friend a short wave before heading up the stairs. She planned on inviting the two boys over to her place for the night. After all, how often does someone get the chance to spend time with their unborn children? There was no way she was going to pass up this chance. 

_

Brad could tell something was on his friend’s mind. Oscar had been unusually quiet since they had settled down in Dana’s living room. A half eaten pizza lay in an open box on the middle of the coffee table. Brad had eaten his full but Oscar had barely touched it. The younger boy loved the greasy treat. Oscar had been pretty talkative until his mother had gone to bed. As soon as Dana had gone to bed Oscar had put a tape in the VCR and fallen silent.

“Is everything ok?” he asked, glancing at his friend.

“Huh?” Oscar asked.

“Is something bothering you?” Brad asked, moving to sit next to him on the couch. “You’ve been awfully quiet. You’re never quiet.”

Oscar knew it was only a matter of time before his little secret came out. His friends always had a way of figuring out all his secrets. It was actually surprising that they hadn’t figured it out. Chances were high Winter wouldn’t forgive him for what’d done. He couldn’t risk losing her, especially not with the baby on the way. He supposed that he should have thought about that before.

“There is something,” Brad said as Oscar looked down at his hands. 

“Yea there is,” he said, “but I can’t tell you.”

There was no way he could tell him could he? Would Brad judge him? Would he tell Winter? 

“Come on,” Brad said. “You were the first person I told I was gay. I can trust you with anything. I thought you felt the same way about me.”

“I did something stupid,” he said. “I’m...I’m scared to tell anyone about it.”

“You did something?” the younger boy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“I broke Winter’s trust,” Oscar admitted. “When she finds out...she’s going to leave me when she finds out. I can’t...I can’t lose her.”

Once he started talking about it it was like releasing a flood gate. All he wanted to do was confess his crime. 

“Did you cheat on her?” Brad asked, unable to hide his shock at the mere thought of it.

“No way!” Oscar explained shaking his head. “I could never do that.”

“Then what is it?” Brad asked. “It can’t be all that bad.”

“Remember when I got that really cool digital camera for my birthday?” Oscar questioned.

“Yea,” Brad said. “We used it for ghost photography. What does…”

Oscar saw the second it clicked in Brad’s mind. His eyes went wide with surprise. 

“Did you…,” he started before glancing at Dana’s closed bedroom door. He lowered his voice. “Did you take...naked...pictures of Winter?”

“Not naked,” he explained. “Sexy and suggestive...you could say that but not nudes. She knew about it! It wasn’t like it was sneaky.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Brad asked, still not seeing the whole picture.

“I...I showed them to James….,” Oscar explained. “That quiet kid from Chemistry. He seemed more surprised than anything and promised not to tell anyone.”

“You showed private photos that Winter was kind enough to let you take to some guy you barely know? Why?” Brad asked.

Wow, the way he put things made it seem so much worse and it already seemed bad. 

“I was showing off,” Oscar said slouching against the couch. “I thought I was so cool. I had a hot girlfriend who let me take sexy pictures. Who wouldn’t want to brag about that?”

“Winter is going to flip,” Brad said. “That was such a betrayal.”

“I feel terrible,” Oscar said. “I deleted the pictures. I’ve done everything I could to be a perfect boyfriend since.”

Brad couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“Everything except tell the truth,” Brad said. “What if James accidents let it slip? He might just mention it by accident. It could get back to Winter. She’ll be furious if she finds out that way.”

“I know,” Oscar said, picking at lint on the couch arm. “I don’t know how to tell her.”

“Just tell her the same way you told me,” he said. “It’s going to be hard but you need to do it. She can’t forgive you until she knows about it. You need to tell her. The longer you hold a secret in the harder it is to tell. You just get used to hiding it.”

“Why don’t you tell your parents your gay?” Oscar asked, happy to change the subject. “I mean...they’re both cool. I highly doubt it would bother either of them.”

“I don’t know,” Brad said, picking up one of the throw pillows and holding it close. “I mean...I think they suspect but I don’t know how to approach it with them. It’s different.”

Both boys were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t notice the small wave of smoke that was starting to leak under the closet in the living room. 

“I know I have to though,” he said with a sigh. “How can I bring a boyfriend around if they don’t know?”

“Is there someone you’re interested in?” Oscar questioned.

Brad hadn’t mentioned that there was someone he was crushing on. His friend frowned as if he was unsure he should answer. He nervously glanced down at his hands. Oscar knew he needed to back off. Brad was so private about his sexuality, not that he blamed him. He had a feeling he knew who it was. Oscar had seen him making eyes at a boy over the lunch table. 

“Oscar!” Brad suddenly shouted pointing at the door.

Oscar turned his head to see a wave of smoke sneaking out around the living room closet door. A bright red glow was building up. 

“Block the door,” Oscar shouted, jumping up the couch. 

The two teenagers jumped up and quickly started pushing the small couch in front of the door. The doorknob started to turn. They stood on the couch and put their full weight onto the door.

“Mom!” Oscar yelled. “Help! It’s back!”

“Mrs. Venkman!” Brad shouted. “Please!”

Growling intensified behind the door as Dana’s bedroom door opened. She froze in shock at the sight of the boys. She quickly darted over to the phone and picked it up. She quickly pushed in the number for the ghostbusters. She knew if it was a slow night there would be no one working the desk. Sometimes they would just allow the answering machine to get the random phone calls. She was finally greeted by Peter’s voice but it was just a recording. 

You’ve reached ghostbuster headquarters. We are unable to get to the phone right now. If this is a ghost emergency try calling back. If the phone keeps ringing maybe someone will get to it quicker. Thank you for your call.

Dana hung up the phone and dialed it again. It only rang a few times before getting picked up. 

“Hello,” came Ray’s tired sounding voice. “Ghostbusters’ headquarters. What’s your issue?” 

“It’s Dana,” she said, rushing to help the boys hold the door closed. “There’s something in the closet! It’s trying to get out. We need help!” 

Despite the weight against the door it was starting to crack open. 

“Mom!” Oscar screamed pushing on the door. “Help!”

“It seems really mad,” Brad said, putting his full weight into the door. 

“What’s going on?” Ray asked suddenly wide awake. “What does it look like? Is anyone hurt?”

Suddenly the door popped open an inch of so. Dana dropped the cordless phone to the floor as she pressed both hands to the door.

“Hurry!” she shouted loud enough for Ray to hear. “I don’t know how long we can hold it back.”

Dana gave the two teenagers a worried look. Hopefully they should hold it back until the guys got there.


End file.
